The World Championships medalist Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the round two of the men’s singles event at the ongoing Thailand Masters badminton tournament on Wednesday. Srikanth, the world number 47 defeated Israel’s Daniil Dubovenko, 74th in badminton rankings by 21-13, 21-18 within two successive games in Pathumwan on Wednesday, as per Olympics.com. Srikanth, who last clinched a BWF badminton title in the 2017 French Open Super Series, raced to a 6-0 lead against his opponent before the latter found his rhythm. The Indian shuttler however kept his calm and headed into the interval with a 11-4 lead, eventually winning the first game.

In the second game, Srikanth took the easy lead of 10-5, but Dubovenko fought back brilliantly to level the scores at 15-15. Srikanth raised his tempo, closing the match on a high and fixing a round of 16 clash against world number 41 Jason Gunawan of Hong Kong.

In other competitions, Sankar Subramanian (men’s singles), Ruban Kumar-Hariharan Amsakarunan (men’s doubles) and Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Shivani (mixed doubles) and Rakshitha Ramraj also made it to the round two.

Sankar defeated Cheam Jun Wei of Malaysia 15-21, 21-15, 21-19 in his opening round encounter and his next match will be against Indonesia’s Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo.

On the other hand, Ruban and Hariharan beat Thailand’s Pannawat Jamtubtim-Ratchapol Makkasasithorn 21-18, 21-12 while Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Shivani beat Thailand’s Weeraphat Phakjarung-Sararat Chueboca 21-8, 21-16.

Rakshitha managed to edge past China’s Wu Luo Yu in a well-fought match by 21-19, 21-16 to secure her round of 16 spot.

Among the players who were knocked out of the competition were: Tharun Mannepalli, Satish Kumar, Ayush Shetty and Mithun Manjunath in men’s singles, Tanya Hemanth, Shriyanshi Valishetty and Tara Shah in the women’s singles competition and the Indian men’s doubles pair of Abinash Mohanty-Ayush Pattanayak.

Indian shuttlers continued to disappoint at the international stage with Lakshya Sen and the star men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty crashing out in the second round of the Indonesia Masters Super 500 badminton tournament in Jakarta on Thursday. Sen, ranked 10th in the world, extended his struggling run on the international circuit with a loss in the men’s singles second round against Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto 16-21 21-12 21-23 in 50 minutes. If that was not enough, Asian Games champions Satwik and Chirag, who reached back-to-back semifinals at Malaysia Super 1000 and India Super 750 in the last two weeks, also exited from the tournament with a hard-fought 20-22 21-23 loss against Thai combination of Kittinupong Kedren and Dechapol Puavaranukroh.

Earlier in the day, the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanshia Crasto squandered an early lead to go down 21-18 15-21 19-21 against Malaysia’s Pang Ron Hoo and Su Yin Cheng in the second round.

Sen, an Asian Games silver medallist and Commonwealth Games gold winner, made a poor start to the match as he lost the first game.

The Indian’s famed defence was ably tackled by the lower-ranked Nishimoto as he took a 9-3 lead and never looked back, despite Sen trying to make a comeback at 10-11. But Nishimoto employed fast rallies and closed out the first game comfortably.

Sen made a fast start to the second game and raced to a 6-3 lead with an aggressive smash.

Nishimoto opted for long rallies to tire out Sen but the Indian’s smart strokeplay handed him a 11-6 lead at the break.

Nishimoto then committed plenty of errors at the net as Sen’s retrieving capacity was on full display while he extended his lead to 16-8.

The Japanese was troubled by the drift as Sen picked up points at will to close out the second game at 21-12 and force the match into the decider.

With the change of sides, it was then Sen’s turn to struggle as Nishimoto raced to a 5-1 lead in the decider.

But a calm and composed Sen kept up up with his opponent till 7-7.

Sen took the lead for the first time in the decider with a jump smash but committed errors due to the drift to trail 9-11 at the final break of the tie.

Later in the day, the women’s doubles pair of Crasto and seasoned Ashwini Ponnappa will be up against Malaysian combination of Pei Kee Go and Mei Xing Teoh.

On Wednesday, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and upcoming men’s singles player Priyanshu Rajawat crashed out in the opening round.

Star Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be eying its maiden title of the year while Lakshya Sen will look to put behind a disappointing start to the season when the Indonesia Masters Super 500 tournament gets underway in Jakarta, Indonesia on Tuesday. The world No 9 duo of Satwik and Chirag has been in a fine form, reaching semifinals of the last two tournaments – Malaysia Open Super 1000 and India Open Super 750 – over the last as many weeks and will be keen to cross the final hurdle.

Satwik-Chirag had lost each of the two semifinals in straight sets and their aim would be to go the distance in the upcoming tournament.

They will open their campaign with a round of 32 clash against Chinese Taipei’s Chen Zhi-Ray and Yu Chieh Lin.

The challenge, however, would be greater for India’s singles players Sen and PV Sindhu when they take the court here.

The 23-year-old Sen, who had finished fourth in last year’s Paris Olympics has lost twice in the first round over the last two weeks, will be determined to put his best foot forward in the round of 32 clash.

Priyanshu Rajawat will also begin his campaign at the same stage, taking on Japan’s Kodai Naraoka.

However, two other Indians will face off in the men’s singles qualification round as Kidambi Srikanth, who did not feature in India Open, will look to get the better of Kiran George.

In women’s singles round of 32, Sindhu will open her campaign against Chinese Taipei’s Sung Shuo Yun, Aakarshi Kashyap will face Japan’s world No 19 Nozomi Okuhara and Anupama Upadhyaya will take on local player Gregoria Mariska Tunjung.

Sindhu lost in the quarterfinals of the India Open and the two-time Olympic medallist Indian star will be keen to make amends.

In women’s singles qualification, Isharani Baruah will face compatriot Rakshitha Ramraj while Tanya Hemanth will clash against Chinese Taipei’s Tung Ciou-Tong.

Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa will begin their women’s doubles campaign in round of 32 against Thailand’s Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn and Sukitta Suwachai.

Tanisha will team up with Dhruv Kapila for their mixed doubles’ round of 32 game against Indonesia’s Adnan Maulana and Indah Cahya Sari Jamil.

In the same round, Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde will face off against England’s Gregory Mairs and Jenny Mairs.

Olympic champions Viktor Axelsen and An Se-young secured the men’s and women’s singles crowns respectively with dominating wins in lop-sided finals at the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament in New Delhi on Sunday. Axelsen, a 2017 and 2019 winner, prevailed 21-16 21-8 over last year’s finalist Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong in the men’s singles summit clash at the KD Jadhav indoor hall which was almost full despite the fact that no Indian was competing in the two finals.

Axelsen, a two time world champion, thus erased the disappointment of falling in the opening round of Malaysian Open super 1000 last week to the same opponent.

“To be honest, to win this title is very special to me. Because it has been just a different feeling on court and different preparation. I’m starting to feel like my motivation is back. I’ve been a competitor this week,” Axelsen, who was playing in his sixth India Open final in 10 years, told reporters.

“Since the Olympics, I’ve had a little bit of issues with injuries. And that has been affecting my motivation a little bit. So to be here now and win the title means a lot.

“The first one as a 31-year-old. But again, as I also said in the other interviews, I was in my first final here 10 years ago, which is crazy. So many things have happened in the last 10 years. But it feels very surreal to win this for the third time in my sixth final. It is amazing.” In the women’s singles, it was another graceful performance from An Se-Young of Korea, a 2023 champion, as she effortlessly packed off Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-12 21-9 to win her second India Open crown. She had also reached the finals last year.

Malaysian combination of Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudding, who had ended India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s run at the semifinals, produced another superlative show to outwit Korean pair of Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae 21-15,13-21, 21-16 in the men’s doubles final.

In the women’s doubles final, Japan’s Arisa Igarashi and Ayako Sakuramoto beat Kim Hye Jang and Kong Hee Young of South Korea 21-15 21-13. This is only the third tournament together for the Japanese combination with Igarashi, formerly known as Arisa Higashino, making a successful shift to women’s doubles from mixed doubles.

In the mixed doubles final, China’s Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin prevailed 21-18 21-17 over French combination of Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue.

Axelsen vs Lee

Lee, 2019 Hong Kong open winner, had finished as runner-up in the last edition and his dream of winning the title remained unfulfilled after he went down in the final for the second time in two years.

Lee made a good start, opening up a 6-3 lead. But Axelsen found his rhythm back and slowly build up the momentum to gather a 11-8 advantage at the break. Lee kept fighting but couldn’t pose a real threat as Axelsen blunted his attack with his retrieval skills and took five game points and converted after Lee went long.

The script didn’t change despite the change of sides as Axelsen moved from 10-6 to 19-6 with a series of booming smashes to dismantle Lee’s defence and complete the win in no time.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (left) and Chirag Shetty in action.© X (formerly Twitter)

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu progressed to the quarterfinals, while Kiran George delivered a gritty performance to keep the home flag flying in men’s singles at the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament in New Delhi on Thursday. Sindhu cruised past Japan’s world No. 46 Manami Suizu with a 21-15, 21-13 win, while Kiran pulled off a stunning recovery, saving six game points to outlast Alex Lanier 22-20, 21-13 in the pre-quarterfinals. Sindhu, a former world champion, will now face Paris Olympics bronze medallist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, while Kiran will take on left-handed Chinese shuttler Hong Yang Weng in the next round.

Kiran’s match against Alex started with the Frenchman leading 6-1 before a series of unforced errors allowed the Indian to claw back. Despite Alex using his smashes effectively, Kiran hung in and managed to close the gap. Alex led by three points at the interval, but Kiran showed remarkable mental resilience.

Down 14-20, Kiran saved six game points, launching an eight-point burst to seal the opening game as Alex repeatedly missed the lines.

In the second game, Kiran led 14-11 after a fierce battle. Alex’s smashes went wide and long, while Kiran capitalised on every opportunity. Alex lost both challenges as Kiran surged to a 19-13 lead, and a couple of net errors sealed the match for the Indian.

“I was just taking it one point at a time, not thinking about the lead. I think that helped me secure the first set. I was just being patient,” Kiran said after the match.

“This win feels good, but I’m focused on my next match. It’s a huge confidence booster. Going into tomorrow’s match will help a lot. It’s just hard work; I’m playing patiently. That’s what I think changed my game. Today, I didn’t have anything to lose, so I gave my all.”

Sindhu vs Suizu

Sindhu made a strong start, leading 11-6 at the break. Although Suizu briefly narrowed the gap to 11-13 and 13-14, Sindhu was always a step ahead, with the Japanese player unable to cope with the Indian’s powerful smashes. Sindhu continued to hit deep returns and used precise drops to trouble Suizu. Soon, she was 20-14 up and sealed the game when Suizu hit into the net.

After the change of sides, Sindhu raced to a 5-0 lead. The second game was all about Sindhu, as she quickly established a dominant 11-2 lead at the interval, and it became clear that Suizu had no answers to the Indian’s relentless pressure.

File photo of Lakshya Sen.© AFP

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu has begun a new chapter under renowned Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama and said she still has the fire to achieve more in the last phase of her career. The 29-year-old from Hyderabad, a former world champion, has worked with multiple coaches but still endured a challenging season which included a medal-less Olympic campaign. Sindhu, who will be returning to action at the India Open Super 750 after missing the Malaysia Open last week following her wedding last month, has begun training under coach Irwansyah, who is credited with the rise of men’s singles stars Jonatan Christie and Anthony Ginting.

“Right now I am training with coach Irwansyah in Bangalore, it has been just one and a half week. Basically he is women’s singles coach and also he is training some young boys as well. I am really looking forward to it. We have recently started,” Sindhu told reporters on the eve of the tournament.

“The bonding is important between coach and athlete, it will take time. We will need a couple of training sessions to come together and understand what he’s thinking.

“I’ve heard a lot about him and I thought he is the right coach for me. The way he’s approaching against opponents, I think it’s really good.” The shift from personal coaches to group training under Irwansyah at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy marks a major change for Sindhu.

“Yes, it will be in a group. Basically when the camp list comes out, will come to know who are the women players there. So accordingly it will be decided.” Having achieved tremendous success including the Rio Olympic silver under the tutelage of mentor and chief India coach Pullela Gopichand, Sindhu later worked with Korea’s Kim Ji Hyun to win the 2019 World championships and claimed the Tokyo silver with Park Tae-Sang.

She then moved to Malaysian Muhammad Hafiz Hashim, before training with Vidhi Choudhary for a brief time. She trained under Indonesian legend Agus Dwi Santoso with the legendary Prakash Padukone also mentoring her ahead of the Paris Olympics and then was guided by the duo of Anup Sridhar and Korean Lee Hyun-il till December.

Asked if the dynamics will be different in a group setting, Sindhu said: “I don’t think it will be different. Initially when I used to play as an individually coached player as well, there were players who were sparring with me. So it’s good for them and it’s also good for me because they make it difficult.

“But I think it will be like a conference where they are also improving. I am also improving. We are competing against each other. So it’s always good.” Before claiming the Syed Modi super 300 crown in December, Sindhu had last won a BWF title at the Singapore Open in 2022. A stress fracture on her left foot following the Commonwealth Games gold kept her away from the court for a long time.

She also suffered a knee injury in 2023 and returned to action in the early part last year. She did reach the finals at the 2023 Spain Masters Super 300 and 2024 Malaysia Masters Super 500 but couldn’t win the title.

“I need to maintain my speed. I need to have my power. The women’s singles game is evolving, and after playing for so many years, I think opponents definitely know my game by now. They’ll anticipate it, so it’s crucial to strategize with my coach, having both a Plan A and a Plan B,” she said.

“At the same time, I must keep working on my speed and continue to improve it, because while opponents may be familiar with my strategy and style, it’s essential to keep changing things up accordingly.” With five world championships medal, two Olympic medals, two Asian Games medal and multiple other titles, Sindhu has achieved success in most of the big-ticket events but she believes she still has a lot to offer and win.

“I still feel there’s so much more to achieve. I have that fire in me, and I know I can do it. It’s just a matter of time and rhythm,” she said.

“I definitely want to secure another medal at the World Championships, and also at the All England Championships. There are big tournaments like the World Tour Finals that I’ve already won medals in, but every time you step onto the court, you always want to win, even if you’ve won before.”

The contingent is the biggest ever but focus would be on a handful of tried-and-tested names, especially the men’s doubles team of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, when Indian shuttlers go up against a world-class field in the India Open Super 750 tournament beginning in New Delhi on Tuesday. Despite the name, Indian success at the tournament hasn’t been particularly regular with none from the host nation winning any title in the past two editions. The 46-strong group that will take the court this week would be desperate to make some amends after an ordinary Olympic campaign six months ago.

The expectations would be especially high from Satwik and Chirag, who claimed the doubles title in 2022, the same year in which the currently erratic Lakshya Sen notched the men’s singles top honour.

More than 200 players from powerhouse badminton nations such as India, China, Japan, Denmark, South Korea and Indonesia will be in action this week.

Chirag and Satwik, who are former world number ones, have made a good start to the season by reaching the semifinals of the Malaysia Super 1000 last week.

Despite the Paris Games disappointment, they have emerged as India’s most reliable performers over the last two years by regularly making the deep end of the draws.

They would be expected to do the same in the USD 950,000 event to be held at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium here.

Satwik and Chirag, semifinalists at the 2024 China Masters, will face Malaysia’s Wei Chong Man and Kai Wun Tee in their opening round.

“The last time we came here was after playing the final of the Malaysia Open and reached the final here also. This time also we have started (the year) with a semi-final in Malaysia and want to improve on last year’s results,” Chirag said.

“It is our home tournament and we really want to go one better than last year. Playing in different conditions, the first few rounds are tricky to get used to. Some stadium are fast and some slow but we have been in circuit for 7-8 years, so we are accustomed.” While the Indians have shown impressive form, they will be seeking improvement in quick rallies and service variations in a bid to better their runners-up position in the tournament last year.

However, the Indian pair will face stiff competition from top names such as China’s Olympic silver-medallists Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang.

Also there in the field are Paris bronze-medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia, Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen, and the Indonesian combination of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto.

Sindhu back in action

Despite an underwhelming 2024, one can never discount two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, who would be back in action after missing the season-opener in Kuala Lumpur due to her wedding.

The 29-year-old Hyderabadi returned to winning ways, lifting the Syed Modi International title, although it was against a predominantly Indian field.

Sindhu will begin her campaign against Chinese Taipei’s Shuo Yun Sung and is drawn to face Japan’s rising star Tomoka Miyazaki in a potentially tough second round.

Miyazaki is a 2022 world junior champion and Sindhu’s conqueror at last year’s Swiss Open. Sindhu last won this event in 2017.

The very exciting but equally inconsistent Lakshya Sen would be aiming to replicate his 2022 success at the event.

He can draw confidence from his Syed Modi title win and a third-place finish at the Kings Cup a few days ago. He opens against Chun Yi Lin of Chinese Taipei.

HS Prannoy, returning after a five-month break following a pre-quarterfinal exit at the Paris Olympics, stumbled in the second round in Malaysia last week.

However, the 32-year-old veteran showed signs of his vintage form during the short campaign. He will look to build on that when he faces Chinese Taipei’s Li Yang Su in the first round.

A victory could set up a showdown with second seed Jonatan Christie of Indonesia.

Kidambi Srikanth and Kiran George earned last-minute entry following the withdrawal of top seed Shi Yuqi of China and eighth seed Antony Ginting of Indonesia.

Srikanth will face a tough opening test against Chinese left-hander Hong Yang Weng, while Kiran George will open his campaign against Yushi Tanaka of Japan.

With marquee players like Olympic champions Viktor Axelsen (men) and An Se Young (women) leading the competition, it would be no stroll in the park for the Indians in fray.

But being on home turf could prove to be the morale-booster that helps them go over the line in difficult situations.

Young names eye glory

Some promising youngsters will also be eager to make a mark.

Among them is Priyanshu Rajawat, who faces a tough challenge in his opening round against sixth-seeded Japanese Kodai Naraoka.

Malvika Bansod will take on third seed Chinese Yue Han, Aakarshi Kashyap will face eighth-seeded Thai Pornpawee Chochuwong and there will be an all-Indian battle between Anupama Upadhyaya and Rakshitha Sree in another opening round.

In women’s doubles, India’s hopes will rest on fifth-seeded team of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who will face Japan’s Arisa Igarashi and Ayako Sakuramoto in the first round.

Meanwhile, Guwahati Masters-winning pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, will take on compatriots Kavya Gupta and Radhika Sharma. The Indians are seeded seventh.

When the going gets tough for PV Sindhu, the star badminton player dives into her highly successful past to seek inspiration to keep going in her quest for more glory. The 29-year-old has in her cabinet every trophy and medal that is there to be won. She is one of the only three Indians to win two Olympic medals, and is also a world champion besides claiming medals at Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. But Sindhu struggled to repeat her international success last season, the medal-less show at the Paris Olympics raising doubts about her future in the sport she dominated for so long.

For Sindhu however, speculations don’t not matter. She still steps on the court with the same passion that has catapulted her to the zenith of world badminton.

“Of course yes,” Sindhu told PTI in an interview when asked if she still has the hunger to keep going.

“I am saying this because when you see those wins, how happy it makes you and how much confidence it gives you, that itself will take you to another level. Seeing wins again and again keeps that hunger going, so definitely yes.

“There are some clips when you are really young when you look at it, it feels like wow, you know, you have done so much and you know why can’t I do it more? You question yourself, and that’s when it all starts, so yes,” Sindhu said during an interaction facilitated by sports brand PUMA, which has signed her as an ambassador.

Sindhu understands that she will have to endure plenty of struggles but she can’t afford to lose hope.

“I have seen a lot through sport, it was important for me to believe in myself when there were days where I was injured and I didn’t know if I can come back and I can be my 100%, which happened in 2015, when I had an injury, but then I bounced back, and I got a silver at Rio.

“My life has changed a lot since the time I started and till now I have had a lot of awards, rewards which has given me a lot of confidence. I am very grateful for whatever I have achieved and when I look back, I can tell that yes I have done whatever I could.” Wins and losses are part of the learning curves. So what has been the biggest learning for Sindhu? “Being patient. That has taught me a lot in life, being patient and wait for the right time because sometimes game teaches you to be patient no matter what.

“You have to keep waiting till you get whether it is success or whether it is the right time or whether it is the right shot… you have to wait for the right time to do the right thing.” Sindhu said self-belief is something an athlete can’t do without, indicating that she is trying to overcome the ongoing tough phase with the same virtue.

“It hits you when you are actually not able to win or not able to get that success or when you are actually at your lows. That is when it is important for an athlete to stay there and keep believing in yourself. There were days when I lost matches which were very very close.

“There were days where I was like why am I losing, what is happening, can I bounce back, can I come back stronger and especially lowest is when it hits you really hard. I was doubting myself but people around me were very very supportive in terms of they were like it’s okay, believe in yourself, you can do it.

“I am very lucky to say that I have parents who are sports persons and they know what it is and what it takes because they have experienced so much that they tell me that this is what happens and you need to be stronger and you need to come back stronger.” Sindhu was candid in admitting that digesting defeats is still difficult for her despite so much success in her career.

“It does hurt, it does hurt at any point of time even though let’s say if you don’t have to prove anything, or if you have achieved everything and what is left you might ask me what else is left? “For me I feel that there is a lot of time left and I can win a lot of tournaments and I can play for so many more years because if you are fit and if you are injury free I think passion towards the sport itself will take you much more longer.” She also emphasised that the relationship between a coach and an athlete needs to be very clear in terms of what is going in your head on and off court.

“A coach needs to understand even if I am not able to say what is happening in the court. As a coach you know he understands what you feel. So it is very important to also have that trust between a coach and an athlete.” Sindhu has a clear plan for the 2025 season when she will compete in select tournaments to avoid injuries.

“There are a lot of tournaments every month. We are out for like 15 days, 20 days. Definitely I will pick and choose a tournament because as you said I need to stay injury free. That is very important. If you stay injury free that’s when you go and give your 100%.

“There are some tournaments where BWF says that you have to play, but apart from that, the players are also smart enough to pick and choose tournaments.” Sindhu said she is still evolving as a player, working on her skills because “the game has been changing so much.” “People have become really strong in their defense so to break that, you have to work on that. You have to also work on defense. Not everyone gives you chance to attack. Because I’m a tall player and I have a good reach, so not everyone will give you a chance to attack, so accordingly you have to make changes.” Sindhu also hoped that the gulf between her and the next generation will be bridged sooner than later.

“I am hoping that the gap closes soon. There are a lot of youngsters I have seen in the Syed Modi (recent tournament she won) doing really well.

“I would say Unnati and also Malavika are doing really well right now. Shreyanshi is doing really well so there are so many. If I have to name, there is Tanvi Sharma also.

“It’s very, very important to have the right guidance. Especially to the parents out there, I want to say that if they feel by putting their kids into academies from where successful athletes have come, their kids will also become champions is not right.

“Every athlete has a different mindset, every athlete has a different style of play, different thinking, so they need to understand that.

To conclude, Sindhu said that what is common between her and PUMA is “commitment towards the sport.”